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AIDA Team World Championship 2012
- Thread starterGoran Colak
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
, There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
a very peculiar 'apology' by Claude Chapuis:
"Dear Assembly members
It's not to AIDA international to apologize for some issues faces by athletes, coaches like the problem of the transport,
it's to me, Claude Chapuis
I have to reconize that I didn't work enought concerning some points
I focused mainly on ideas like :
- safety
- cheap championship
- help to some freedivers or to some teams unable to come because of money problem
- live on internet for the two pool events
- official training on Sunday 9th with 110 registered freedivers, training for one hour between 8am to 12 in correct conditions
- and few other things
To understand clearly what happened with transport, find below some elements
- i took the risk to book 120 beds in January in order to have cheap price in the main residence which was situated near the beach and the official village
but having no visibility about what could happen concerning the participation for a team competition in our amator world - AIDA, I couldn't book more beds
- If I hadn't booked these 120 beds and if I had waited the end of June, the total amount asked to all athletes coaches … would have been much more important
because on the french Riviera, you can't find cheap price for 120 /150 persons facing the sea if you try to book just one or two months before
So If I had waited, the AIDA world championship would have been organized for only rich nations or freedivers, which is not on my opinion the meaning of an AIDA team world championship
- The end of June was the deadline and some countries didn't "play the game" by respecting the deadline and for some of them, i received in the middle of July
and for some at the end of July, the information about their participation
- May I add too that because in some countries, because of visa problems, some nations told me at the last minute that they could come. It's not their fault, it's
the fault of our modern world in which people have some difficulties to travel where they want …
In order to facilitate the participation of all nations I decided to accept every teams even if their were late
So I have had to find at the last minute a second residence which required for me to find big bus
The city of Nice said yes to provide 2 big bus for the week …. and changed at the last minute (8 days before the championship) its decision
That's why I have had at the last minute to find minibus and volunteers and everybody saw the results
Beyond the transport problem, I hope that most of the teams enjoyed the world championship in his philosophy which was not a 5* competition
(small french apartments, transport problems …)
I suppose that the big majority of all delegations enjoyed the championship if I trust all messages that I received
If athletes are happy so I'm happy
I have to add few words for the professional jury we have had the chance to see working for athletes and AIDA during this championship.
- Thank you Ute for your Rigour and smile
- Thank you Panagiota for your efficiency and smile
(for Ute and Panagiota : AIDA needs women at the highest level)
- Thank you Kimmo to be more than a judge, an excellent president for the AIDA community, a very difficult exercice on my opinion that very rare persons could assume
- Thank you Marcello to speak french
, to have endured me during the difficult exercise of measurement the official rope(two official ropes in fact) and to have teached new aida judges
- Thank you Rob, excellent AIDA secretary, and also excellent judge by for example having discussed with me about the validity/fiability concerning the methodology of the test for the counter ballast system
I have to add few words for the athletes / delegations
It has been a great pleasure for me to meet all of you
I haven't been enough available for you but what interested me has been :
- all the discussions that you have had with the other freedivers coming from many countries
- all things that young or new freedivers learned by seeing other experienced freedivers
I have to say also that some freedivers did not understood what means "sustainable development" and or" protection of the environment if I consider that I have lost one full hour to clean the pool after the dynamic event
I have also to say that I don't understand why 80% of the regitered athletes for the unofficial training of the 7th didn't pay the 15 Euros for the training
I have also to say that I don't understand why some athletes decided to stay in some hotel one more night after the end of the championship and decided to leave the hotel without paying the room
I have also to say that I don't understand why some non well trained freedivers tried to explained to everybody that their "small" performances should be explained by some non adapted plastic chair in the static pool. It's Claude Chapuis the old trainer who speak and I suggest to young freedivers to take time to analyze their "bad" performances instead of trying to find an explanation in a plastic chair or anything like that
But are all these things really important ?
for me no
I keep in my mind the smile of most of you dear athletes
I have to add one word for all volunteers who helped me to propose a cheap world chamlmiopnship :
MERCI
I hope that the next organizer of the AIDA team world championship in 2014 will help ALL countries to register a team (with the help of AIDA international)
just to demonstrate that AIDA is may be an amator association
but an amator association which is able to help all freedivers of the world to particip to a world team competition
I know that my french point of view is not shared by everybody
but I 'll continue to fight for this idea called freediving
To finish, I hope that the giant cake paid by AIDA international for the closing ceremony and for the 20th birthday will help everybody to understand that freediving is not only rules, records, complaints, competition ….
Freediving is emotions, sensations, feelings, pleasure
Freediving competitions are only a mean to help freedivers to meet togethers,
just to share ideas and sensations
i hope that most of the athletes, being also AIDA instructors, will help their sudents to understand that performances are nothing in comparison to the benefit got from the pleasure coming from each dive
Freediving, it's a world of sensations ...
I apologize dear freedivers for the small problems met by the delegations during the AIDA world championship
bye bye
claude and his team"
"Dear Assembly members
It's not to AIDA international to apologize for some issues faces by athletes, coaches like the problem of the transport,
it's to me, Claude Chapuis
I have to reconize that I didn't work enought concerning some points
I focused mainly on ideas like :
- safety
- cheap championship
- help to some freedivers or to some teams unable to come because of money problem
- live on internet for the two pool events
- official training on Sunday 9th with 110 registered freedivers, training for one hour between 8am to 12 in correct conditions
- and few other things
To understand clearly what happened with transport, find below some elements
- i took the risk to book 120 beds in January in order to have cheap price in the main residence which was situated near the beach and the official village
but having no visibility about what could happen concerning the participation for a team competition in our amator world - AIDA, I couldn't book more beds
- If I hadn't booked these 120 beds and if I had waited the end of June, the total amount asked to all athletes coaches … would have been much more important
because on the french Riviera, you can't find cheap price for 120 /150 persons facing the sea if you try to book just one or two months before
So If I had waited, the AIDA world championship would have been organized for only rich nations or freedivers, which is not on my opinion the meaning of an AIDA team world championship
- The end of June was the deadline and some countries didn't "play the game" by respecting the deadline and for some of them, i received in the middle of July
and for some at the end of July, the information about their participation
- May I add too that because in some countries, because of visa problems, some nations told me at the last minute that they could come. It's not their fault, it's
the fault of our modern world in which people have some difficulties to travel where they want …
In order to facilitate the participation of all nations I decided to accept every teams even if their were late
So I have had to find at the last minute a second residence which required for me to find big bus
The city of Nice said yes to provide 2 big bus for the week …. and changed at the last minute (8 days before the championship) its decision
That's why I have had at the last minute to find minibus and volunteers and everybody saw the results
Beyond the transport problem, I hope that most of the teams enjoyed the world championship in his philosophy which was not a 5* competition
(small french apartments, transport problems …)
I suppose that the big majority of all delegations enjoyed the championship if I trust all messages that I received
If athletes are happy so I'm happy
I have to add few words for the professional jury we have had the chance to see working for athletes and AIDA during this championship.
- Thank you Ute for your Rigour and smile
- Thank you Panagiota for your efficiency and smile
(for Ute and Panagiota : AIDA needs women at the highest level)
- Thank you Kimmo to be more than a judge, an excellent president for the AIDA community, a very difficult exercice on my opinion that very rare persons could assume
- Thank you Marcello to speak french
, to have endured me during the difficult exercise of measurement the official rope(two official ropes in fact) and to have teached new aida judges- Thank you Rob, excellent AIDA secretary, and also excellent judge by for example having discussed with me about the validity/fiability concerning the methodology of the test for the counter ballast system
I have to add few words for the athletes / delegations
It has been a great pleasure for me to meet all of you
I haven't been enough available for you but what interested me has been :
- all the discussions that you have had with the other freedivers coming from many countries
- all things that young or new freedivers learned by seeing other experienced freedivers
I have to say also that some freedivers did not understood what means "sustainable development" and or" protection of the environment if I consider that I have lost one full hour to clean the pool after the dynamic event
I have also to say that I don't understand why 80% of the regitered athletes for the unofficial training of the 7th didn't pay the 15 Euros for the training
I have also to say that I don't understand why some athletes decided to stay in some hotel one more night after the end of the championship and decided to leave the hotel without paying the room
I have also to say that I don't understand why some non well trained freedivers tried to explained to everybody that their "small" performances should be explained by some non adapted plastic chair in the static pool. It's Claude Chapuis the old trainer who speak and I suggest to young freedivers to take time to analyze their "bad" performances instead of trying to find an explanation in a plastic chair or anything like that
But are all these things really important ?
for me no
I keep in my mind the smile of most of you dear athletes
I have to add one word for all volunteers who helped me to propose a cheap world chamlmiopnship :
MERCI
I hope that the next organizer of the AIDA team world championship in 2014 will help ALL countries to register a team (with the help of AIDA international)
just to demonstrate that AIDA is may be an amator association
but an amator association which is able to help all freedivers of the world to particip to a world team competition
I know that my french point of view is not shared by everybody
but I 'll continue to fight for this idea called freediving
To finish, I hope that the giant cake paid by AIDA international for the closing ceremony and for the 20th birthday will help everybody to understand that freediving is not only rules, records, complaints, competition ….
Freediving is emotions, sensations, feelings, pleasure
Freediving competitions are only a mean to help freedivers to meet togethers,
just to share ideas and sensations
i hope that most of the athletes, being also AIDA instructors, will help their sudents to understand that performances are nothing in comparison to the benefit got from the pleasure coming from each dive
Freediving, it's a world of sensations ...
I apologize dear freedivers for the small problems met by the delegations during the AIDA world championship
bye bye
claude and his team"
Speechless LOL
Since I've never had (and probably will never have) the chance to participate in a world championship, could someone please explain how the whole thing with plastic chairs works?
Do you actually stand on the flat seat of the plastic chairs or are you expected to balance on the arms?
Since I've never had (and probably will never have) the chance to participate in a world championship, could someone please explain how the whole thing with plastic chairs works?
Do you actually stand on the flat seat of the plastic chairs or are you expected to balance on the arms?
WTF...!!?? Apart from being a bit of a strange and confusing reading really (the whole letter), this really seems like an odd thing to write...
I am now also really interested in hearing, if athletes, at a world championship, had to balance on a plasticchair, fighting to keep conscious and clear in mind...???
Yes, you hit the nail on the head there: the conditions for static would have been poor for a little regional competition, but you could have laughed it off. These, however, were the world championships.
Here's a picture that shows the sad reality:
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/daanverhoeven/7985961763/"]japanese static | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame]
Notice how in the second lane, the coach is barely able to keep above water while standing on the arm rests of the chair. The pool was 1,80 deep, the chairs were barely enough to support the smaller athletes. Plus they were unstable, like you can see in this picture:
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/daanverhoeven/7985986318/"]irina karina stat | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame]
and then there was another handicap: a big ledge between the water and the side of the pool, so nowhere stable for the athlete to hold except for the line -which wasn't that stable:
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/daanverhoeven/7985966143/"]tomoka and crowd | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame]
That shows Tomoka, who did alright but has done better. She's fortunate to be tall but she still had to stand on the back of the chair. Several people had trouble keeping their balance during the surface protocol.
I've been to world championships where the pool was deep -they provided tables for the athletes to stand on. Common knowledge and common sense. Both missing in the organization in France. You'd expect more, much more, from the man who helped found modern freediving. Hell, you'd expect more from anybody who'd ever been to a comp.
And that was just static -the chairs made a return in dynamic!
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Well it's true it's just down to experience really, clearly the more experienced freedivers brought their own chairs (or tables).
(and clearly those complaining because they have flown from literally the other side of the world to attend the world championships and were expected to balance on the arms of an unbalanced plastic chair after a dynamic are unreasonable)
(and clearly those complaining because they have flown from literally the other side of the world to attend the world championships and were expected to balance on the arms of an unbalanced plastic chair after a dynamic are unreasonable)
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Damn!!! I don't mean to be rude really... And I don't think I am, I'm just being honost here: The level of stupidity behind this is beyond me...
And why did AIDA not inspect the setup (or did they approve this...?).
From the letter above, it seems like Claude Chapuis was in waaayyy over his head organizing this... wich is why AIDA should have taken action as the sanctioning body (or whatever it's called).
This is just downright sad: "It's Claude Chapuis the old trainer who speak and I suggest to young freedivers to take time to analyze their "bad" performances instead of trying to find an explanation in a plastic chair or anything like that"... very sad indeed. I'm sure he's been something great for the sport before, but this is just a very sad message... I think Claude are doing exactly what he tells others not to do. IMO instead,face reality, and admit it was perhaps not the best idea to have people balancing on chairs... (clearly).
(dannybuoy your pictures doesn't show unless I click the text above - opens in another window then).
And why did AIDA not inspect the setup (or did they approve this...?).
From the letter above, it seems like Claude Chapuis was in waaayyy over his head organizing this... wich is why AIDA should have taken action as the sanctioning body (or whatever it's called).
This is just downright sad: "It's Claude Chapuis the old trainer who speak and I suggest to young freedivers to take time to analyze their "bad" performances instead of trying to find an explanation in a plastic chair or anything like that"... very sad indeed. I'm sure he's been something great for the sport before, but this is just a very sad message... I think Claude are doing exactly what he tells others not to do. IMO instead,face reality, and admit it was perhaps not the best idea to have people balancing on chairs... (clearly).
(dannybuoy your pictures doesn't show unless I click the text above - opens in another window then).
Well I was there, and I will wrote how was it, I will not judge or complain or put in a good word, I will just wrote facts...
Accommodation and fees, Croatian team was in 3 rooms, one part 4 with Romanians, one part with 4 Japanese, and me with 3 Slovenians. Rooms ware like 30m2 and there was 5 people in average in them.. I f you ware wit Slovenians it seams like 15 people We had physiotherapist and the coach, and both of course had to pay 700 euros, or the full price. There was poor internet connection and only available at the hotel lobby, sometimes.
Food, well... there was plenty of food available...
Training before one official training was 40 euros per person for 35min training, and 50 euros if you want a few breath of oxygen after a bigger dive. The training site was 7min ride with a boat.
CWT was overall ok, except for the first time we got some wind and waves, then pretty much all fall apart. The rope was 8mm but felted like 6mm because it was slippery for some reason. Bottom plate was a big solid peace of weapon and tennis ball stopper was way to close to it, so me (you can find a video on official page) and some others almost got knocked out during turn.
STA pool was honestly the worst one for static I ever took part on, it is no excuse for poor performances of course, not mine or anyone else's, but you somehow expect a touch more from WCh static pool...
DYN went well overall, only thing was lines you dive out on, well there was so lousy there ware practically non existing. I went out for like 110% safe dive and struggle not to dip my mouth in with my 6kg neckweight... If you not dive out close to the wall it was a 50-50 gamble you are taking on...
I will not wrote any details about doping procedure, just one, it was not good or by WADA standards.
And at the end, every one was really friendly, kind and ready to help at any time. Like I sad I was just writing facts, I had a good time overall...
Accommodation and fees, Croatian team was in 3 rooms, one part 4 with Romanians, one part with 4 Japanese, and me with 3 Slovenians. Rooms ware like 30m2 and there was 5 people in average in them.. I f you ware wit Slovenians it seams like 15 people
We had physiotherapist and the coach, and both of course had to pay 700 euros, or the full price. There was poor internet connection and only available at the hotel lobby, sometimes.Food, well... there was plenty of food available...
Training before one official training was 40 euros per person for 35min training, and 50 euros if you want a few breath of oxygen after a bigger dive. The training site was 7min ride with a boat.
CWT was overall ok, except for the first time we got some wind and waves, then pretty much all fall apart. The rope was 8mm but felted like 6mm because it was slippery for some reason. Bottom plate was a big solid peace of weapon and tennis ball stopper was way to close to it, so me (you can find a video on official page) and some others almost got knocked out during turn.
STA pool was honestly the worst one for static I ever took part on, it is no excuse for poor performances of course, not mine or anyone else's, but you somehow expect a touch more from WCh static pool...
DYN went well overall, only thing was lines you dive out on, well there was so lousy there ware practically non existing. I went out for like 110% safe dive and struggle not to dip my mouth in with my 6kg neckweight... If you not dive out close to the wall it was a 50-50 gamble you are taking on...
I will not wrote any details about doping procedure, just one, it was not good or by WADA standards.
And at the end, every one was really friendly, kind and ready to help at any time. Like I sad I was just writing facts, I had a good time overall...
If he wants to make statements about athlete behaviour, complaints, etc, that does not belong in this 'apology'.
Blaming athletes for being poorly trained when they inquired about the suitability of the pool for statics is just plain rude. I trained a lot and while I am pleased with my performance, I did experience some stress with the setup. I am not a badly trained athlete and I do not want to be accused of being one because I didn't like the pool as much as I had hoped.
I do really appreciate that Claude tried to keep expenses down, and perhaps the organisers were overwhelmed due to there being a much larger number of athletes that expected. I also appreciate that he acknowledges that the event did not go off as smoothly as some would have hoped, and that there were things that could have gone much better. Recognising where things can be improved and learning from experiences like this will lead to better and better events in the future.
However, calling something an apology then sending it to the athletes with a bunch of excuses and accusations (plus a guilt-trip mention of the cake for good measure ?!?) left a bad taste in my mouth. I paid my training fees, I didn't make a mess in the pool, and I didn't stay an extra night in the room yet I received this very negative email pretending to be an apology!
Blaming athletes for being poorly trained when they inquired about the suitability of the pool for statics is just plain rude. I trained a lot and while I am pleased with my performance, I did experience some stress with the setup. I am not a badly trained athlete and I do not want to be accused of being one because I didn't like the pool as much as I had hoped.
I do really appreciate that Claude tried to keep expenses down, and perhaps the organisers were overwhelmed due to there being a much larger number of athletes that expected. I also appreciate that he acknowledges that the event did not go off as smoothly as some would have hoped, and that there were things that could have gone much better. Recognising where things can be improved and learning from experiences like this will lead to better and better events in the future.
However, calling something an apology then sending it to the athletes with a bunch of excuses and accusations (plus a guilt-trip mention of the cake for good measure ?!?) left a bad taste in my mouth. I paid my training fees, I didn't make a mess in the pool, and I didn't stay an extra night in the room yet I received this very negative email pretending to be an apology!
Daan, you beat me to it!
"I have also to say that I don't understand why some non well trained freedivers tried to explained to everybody that their "small" performances should be explained by some non adapted plastic chair in the static pool. It's Claude Chapuis the old trainer who speak and I suggest to young freedivers to take time to analyze their "bad" performances instead of trying to find an explanation in a plastic chair or anything like that
But are all these things really important ?
for me no"
This is the best bit!!
Pretty sure hes referencing me here as I let him know exactly how I felt about the chairs straight after I was Disqualified for completing my surface protocol 0.7 seconds late!!! I spent a good ten seconds finding the damn chair with my feet as I dont wear goggles, white chair, white pool, all blends in.
His remarks at the committee meeting later that day summed up his attitude:
"some people have complained about the chairs in the pool....I find this funny"
wow!
Im actually a little embarrassed that my first time I represented my country at anything things like this happen. No one is going to take our sport seriously if it continues.
"I have also to say that I don't understand why some non well trained freedivers tried to explained to everybody that their "small" performances should be explained by some non adapted plastic chair in the static pool. It's Claude Chapuis the old trainer who speak and I suggest to young freedivers to take time to analyze their "bad" performances instead of trying to find an explanation in a plastic chair or anything like that
But are all these things really important ?
for me no"
This is the best bit!!
Pretty sure hes referencing me here as I let him know exactly how I felt about the chairs straight after I was Disqualified for completing my surface protocol 0.7 seconds late!!! I spent a good ten seconds finding the damn chair with my feet as I dont wear goggles, white chair, white pool, all blends in.
His remarks at the committee meeting later that day summed up his attitude:
"some people have complained about the chairs in the pool....I find this funny"
wow!
Im actually a little embarrassed that my first time I represented my country at anything things like this happen. No one is going to take our sport seriously if it continues.
Sadly very true Gary.
I have to say though that although I hate saying this because I know how hard everyone works at AIDA currently, I do feel that part of the problem here is actually with AIDA rules/procedures.
Surely it's simple enough to put some rules in place for this (in the same way there are other rules about size of pool etc etc) and then check that the proposed set up meets these requirements ahead of time.
Anyway hopefully something positive will come out of this and measures will be put in place to make sure future setups meet some minimum criteria.
Aida Board Meeting 23 September 2012 said:
Interesting
Aida Board Meeting 23 September 2012 – AIDA International
Yes, but apparently they need to be enhanced: http://www.aidainternational.org/do...ida-competition-regulations-12-0-eng/download